DC Comics Direct Channel #829

WILDSTORM LAUNCHES ‘SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS’ COMIC BASED ON HIT SERIES FROM THE CW AND WARNER BROS. TELEVISION​

Spinning out from THE CW and Warner Bros. Television hit television series Supernatural, WildStorm will be producing SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS, an original comic book miniseries based on the show, featuring a new look into the mythos of the program.

The prequel story, which is written by one of the show’s producers, Peter Johnson (in consultation with show creator Eric Kripke), spotlights patriarch John Winchester, who, after witnessing the murder of his wife at the hands of a demon, begins a journey into the dark world of the supernatural.

The miniseries will also be featured in two 15-second television spots to be shown on May 3 at 9 pm ET/PT on The CW. The promos will also drive viewers to an exclusive SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS preview on CWTV.com.

“Having been a comics fan for more than 20 years, I’ve never seen an on-air network spots specifically target a comic book,” says writer Peter Johnson. “It will expose the SUPERNATURAL comic to an audience of several million viewers all at once, unprecedented for the industry. And equally important, the comic allows us to tell stories and explore mythology in ways that our show isn’t able to on a weekly basis.”

In addition, fifteen CW affiliates in smaller markets across the country have teamed up with local comic book retailers for a SUPERNATURAL and SMALLVILLE promotion tied to the release of SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS #1. Participating affiliates will air spots directing viewers to visit a local comic book retailer to register for the chance to win a prize package during the last week of April and early May.

The prize package, provided by DC Comics and Warner Home Video, includes:

• Autographed copies of SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS #1

DC’s SMALLVILLE TP
The Smallville Visual Guide (Dorling Kindersley Publishing)
The Smallville Season Five DVD set
The Supernatural Season One DVD set

Retailers interested in participating in this event should contact the Publicity Department of their local CW affiliates.

Also, an exclusive excerpt from SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS has been featured on Variety.com, and more art from the series appeared in the April 27 TV Guide.

Retailers may download promotional items for SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS at the Diamond Comics website. The miniseries is being promoted with house and trade ads as well.

SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS #1 (MAR070257) is written by Peter Johnson and Geoff Johns, with art by Matthew Dow Smith and Phil Hester and a cover by Tim Bradstreet. This issue is available for advance reorder and is scheduled to arrive in stores on May 2.

From Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, “Supernatural” stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. The series was created by Eric Kripke and is executive produced by McG, Kripke, Robert Singer, John Shiban and Kim Manners.

JONAH HEX #21 (MAY070177), solicited in the May Previews and scheduled to arrive in stores on July 5, will feature a different story than the one solicited.

In issue #21, a notorious gang of bank robbers burns a small town to the ground, killing several Pinkerton detectives. As bounty hunter Jonah Hex stalks them across the desert, the trail leads to a mysterious Native American stronghold — a damned place where no one gets out alive!

JONAH HEX #21 is written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti with art and cover by Jordi Bernet.

The story described in the May Previews has been rescheduled to appear in JONAH HEX #22.